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ba-Ba-ba-brat

From now until Dec 31st, you may post details in this thread about what type of story you'd like to receive: it could be a genre with a specific MC, or a twist on a specific location. By posting a request you're effectively "registering" to write a story for somebody else.

By 7th January 2018 I will pair up requests for the participants and send them out via PM.

Completed stories should be submitted to me by 21st February 2018.

As this is an informal, non-moderated challenge the following guidelines on participation etiquette have evolved over the past two or so years. This is a really good opportunity for writers to workshop an idea and hone their skills. Although we don't have the strictures of the 75 or 300 word challenges, it is still a challenge to complete a story that doesn't run away with itself.

There is no word limit as such, but aiming for 1k-10k words would seem reasonable.

Whilst the pieces do not appear in their entirety on the forum, and so writing standards are a little more relaxed it is polite to assure that at least an excerpt-worth be family friendly: please no gornography or gratuitous erotic razzamataz. If the full length version is to be attached, this holds for the submission as a whole

When you've finished your story, you send it to the admin - in this instance phyrebrat - who'll pass it on to the person who initially requested that story so they do not know who wrote it.

When all stories have been submitted (by 21st February), the Admin will post excerpts in a guessing thread and we will try and guess who wrote which one - it is a fun exercise identifying Chrons members' voices in their writing.

After a week or so of guessing, the authors will be revealed.

Inter alia, at the end, if all parties agree, I can post the full stories for those who want it.

If you request a story, and by extension receive a request from somebody else, WRITE ONE!

The 'noir doesn't go with the post-futuristic steampunk. Is this a genuine request, or a cynical commentary on others' choices?

Following an operation when I was new to this site and was writing just to give people I'd critiqued a way to seek revenge I wrote a piece that was recipes for dragon (for humans) and knight (for dragons). I had promised to extend it, but was persuaded to expand my dragonverse to novel length. Do you think the title ' A Child's first Monster cookbook' would upset people too much (as it defines theme and, to an extent, style?

Aliens vs Belfast.

I don't mind a certain amount of zaniness but 3 items with 3 different partially clashing Chrispy genres would make my head hurt too much. Sorry, @sinister42 - I know others will love the challenge!

I see there's a post above about the origins of the SS. The first was actually a study in style to see if we could each recognise each other's from a short excerpt. It's expanded since then but the themes were never meant to be outlandish.

The sinister resister.

Post-futuristic steampunk noir can be seen as like, Neuromancer meets Blade Runner meets ...some clockwork automatons wandering around for some reason, and you throw a PI in there solving a mystery, and maybe throw in some airships. Perdido Street Station comes kind of close. I'm all about genre-bending.

Well-Known Member

Never joined Sekrit Santa, as such, although I did fill in and write a story once, when someone had to drop out at the last minute. I was only able to do that as the request wasn't too zany. In fact, the interpretation I took was pretty traditional.

Always considered it, but the progressive attempts to out-silly other entrants has put me off*. That, and I never know what to ask for myself - not good at requesting stuff.

*Of course, it has been said I lack a sense of humour, so that might also be an explanation.

It's the demand to name it which would put me off. Tennis, upside-down rain (seen that), meerkats, even an octopus, are all simply elements, but being so specific would make me feel you already have a story in mind; one which I could never write to your satisfaction. Sorry. I do like all the elements, though. ;-)